Eternal Winter
"You'll live here for the rest of your life."
Voice recording was a first for me, but it wasn't particularly difficult. "After all, they don't demand that high a level of quality." A VTuber is nothing more than a streamer using a plate. Even if they claim to do RP, very few VTubers actually possess acting skills. Of course, those with plenty of streaming experience are accustomed to speaking. But speaking well and having good vocal technique are two entirely different things. So a VTuber's voice recording is really just about sounding plausible.
"I did listen to a few sample voices before coming here." The moment I heard them, I understood. No one in this world expects professional-level quality from VTubers who aren't even voice actors. Acting ability, then, didn't matter. What mattered was the satisfaction fans would feel when they heard the voice. That was where monetary value would attach to my voice.
"Besides, I'm not exactly lacking in acting ability either." With all my social experience, I know how to put on a performance. After all, noble socializing is nothing but a supremely shady game of make-believe where everyone wears a mask and tells lies they don't mean. As the villainess of a ducal house, I am the final boss of social maneuvering, so voice recording was nothing compared to that.
"So the real question is what I'm supposed to act."
The script wasn't here. It hadn't suited me in the first place, so I'd left it behind. That meant I'd have to fill everything with ad-libs, but that didn't mean I could just do whatever I wanted. There were at least two rules I had to follow. First, since it was a winter voice, the theme had to be winter. Second, there had to be at least a hint of romance. Viewers tended to see streamers as romantic prospects, after all. Not that many streamers actually ended up with viewers, but that was the dream they were selling.
"──You'll live here for the rest of your life."
After a moment's thought, I spoke the first line. What did the viewers want? Probably a side of me they couldn't see in regular streams. If I just did what I always did, there'd be no difference from an ordinary broadcast. That wouldn't generate much demand.
"But I can't go too far off-character either." My base setting was that of a ducal daughter. If I suddenly started acting like a magical girl, it would feel jarring. That kind of thing wasn't suitable for a first voice recording. Maybe by the fourth one.
So I needed to stay true to my RP as the villainess exiled from her ducal house while showing a slightly different side of myself. And if I was also supposed to create a romantic atmosphere, my options were limited. I had zero romantic experience, after all. The first thing that came to mind was a yandere.
"You were trying to leave again, weren't you?"
"I was going to respect your wishes, but I suppose that won't do."
"You should be grateful I'm only breaking your ankle."
-crack
I'd gotten a little too immersed and received a gentle correction. Romance. It was a concept far removed from me. If I had time for romance, I'd rather be running more queues. Besides, it was generally wiser for streamers to avoid getting boyfriends. So since I couldn't imagine myself dating someone, I pictured locking Anna in the basement instead.
"Anna would probably like something like this." She was the type who bowed her head and asked to be raised, after all. And playing Darkness Deception with Sora recently had helped too. The vengeful spirit of the girl on Stage 2 had given off a bit of a yandere vibe.
I continued the performance at a steady pace.
"From now on, you'll live here."
"Forever."
That was how I ended it.
The staff member's voice trembled slightly. There was no retake. Of course there wasn't.
***
"Whoa, that vocal technique..."
"Insane."
Amid the senior VTubers' murmurs, Lion had fallen silent.
"She's way better than I expected..."
I'd thought Lora wouldn't be bad. She already maintained that whole "viscountess or duchess or whatever" concept even though her parents were ordinary office workers. Besides, VTuber voice recordings didn't demand particularly high standards anyway.
"Though I didn't expect her to fill it entirely with ad-libs..."
That was very much like Lora. For some reason, Lion had never been able to imagine Lora failing. So from the moment she'd heard two voice actors were missing and that Lora would have to fill one of the spots, Lion had been certain of her success.
"...The content was pretty maniacal, though."
Fortunately, that level was still within acceptable bounds. If anything, it might have turned out for the best. Maniacal products tended to attract their own unique demand.
"Lora, that was good."
Ainatsu, who had approached at some point, suddenly spoke up.
"Ainatsu-senpai... I mean, Ainatsu-san."
"Why are you using polite speech all of a sudden? You've been talking casually this whole time."
The first and second generations had debuted in 2021, while the third and fourth had debuted in 2022. Ainatsu from the third generation and Lion from the fourth weren't actually that far apart. Half a year at most. Especially since "Nekozuka Lion" was such a distinctive-concept VTuber that she almost never used polite speech on stream. But—
"Because I'm working as a manager right now."
VTubers couldn't be replaced. But the staff who managed them could be swapped out for someone else. That was why Lion, acting as a manager, used polite speech even toward juniors.
"I don't mind, though~."
"I'm the one who's uncomfortable."
"I see. Sorry about earlier."
"Pardon?"
"I think I spoke a little harshly."
Ainatsu gave a small bow.
"It's fine. We were both just doing our jobs."
Ainatsu was a VTuber who clashed with the company more than most. She might look childish at first glance, but she was far from passive. Lion suspected it was because she'd seen too many VTubers get hurt by being pushed around by company management. That was why Ainatsu spoke up often. Especially when juniors were in trouble, she was quick to take the lead.
"Lora's acting was really good. I should seriously adopt her as my mom. Mind if I invite her for a baby-play collab next time?"
Even while spouting that kind of nonsense.
Lion smiled wryly and headed toward the booth to meet Lora as she came out, partly to put some distance between herself and Ainatsu.
"Unni, your acting was great."
"No need to state the obvious."
"...I'm going to lose my mind, seriously."
There really wasn't a single normal person in this company.
***
"Lora, your acting was amazing!"
"Where did you learn vocal technique? Did you teach yourself?"
Nothing but praise. Was there any word more fitting for me than this?
"Thank you for the compliment. It wasn't anything that impressive, so I'm not sure how to respond."
"So modest~."
One of the seniors laughed and gave my shoulder a light pat. Ichika, I think her name was.
"It's not modesty, though."
Thinking that, I reached out without thinking, but there was no black tea. Food and drink weren't allowed inside. I reluctantly pulled my hand back and crossed my arms instead.
I knew how to act to a certain degree, but I couldn't claim to be particularly skilled. Acting wasn't my main job, after all. So there was no point in showing off with this level of performance. It would only make me look foolish later. Because in this place, there was one person who treated voice acting as practically her main profession.
[Snow is falling. I wonder if this will be the last snow I ever see.]
Delicate. The moment I heard that voice, the word rose to the surface of my mind. Her face beyond the booth's glass window was expressionless. Yet the voice that flowed from her lips stirred people's emotions.
[I'm glad winter is my final season.]
[Because the one who met you was also winter.]
[I'm sorry, but I have one request.]
[Please forget about me.]
"Wow..."
One of the seniors let out a sigh.
Chell had also abandoned the script and performed entirely with ad-libs. But the direction was completely opposite to mine. If mine had been yandere, Chell's theme was tragedy. She'd probably made that choice on purpose. Out of respect for me?
"Of course not."
It was to make her own performance stand out more. Tragedy had a way of pulling people's hearts toward darkness, but it also lingered in memory for a long time. She wanted everyone here to recognize that when it came to voice acting, she was capable of this much.
"I can't deny it."
No matter how much of a victory-obsessed villainess I was, I couldn't win in every single field. When it came to voice acting, Chell was clearly superior. In other words, Chell had received quite professional training. That was probably why she'd been able to join EYEAI in the first place. Though why someone with that level of training had become a VTuber remained a mystery.
"Chell-san, you're good too. Thank you for your hard work."
The staff gave the okay sign, and thus my and Chell's voice recordings ended successfully. After that, the seniors' recordings continued. They had the occasional retake, but overall it went smoothly. None of them were doing voice recording for the first time, and the staff gave the okay as long as it reached a passing level. So the recording session ended earlier than expected.
"Unni, want to try recording a voice drama with Chell-san?"
Or rather, it should have ended.
Lion suddenly made the suggestion.
"Right here, right now."